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Copyright 2013, Ann Lemons Pollack.

May 04, 2017

Lemon Lemonies

It’s no secret that I like lemons. I did even before I acquired the last name in a previous marriage. Even as a kid, my love for all things tart extended to rhubarb and gooseberries. Lemon bars didn’t exist in that world, but if they had, I would’ve been right there.

I came across this recipe somewhere on the internet, via www.averiecooks.com. It’s not a lemon bar, it’s more like a brownie that isn’t brown. I first came to appreciate the combination of lemon and white chocolate (normally my least-favorite form of chocolate) one winter when Li-Lac Chocolate in Greenwich Village was dipping lemon slices in white chocolate. That seemed pretty strange but when I finally tasted one, cold from having been carried around New York City on a cold January day for a couple of hours, it was like eating crunchy lemonade.

You really don’t taste the chocolate here, but it contributes very much to the texture of the soft, chewy base. This is a very intensely-flavored sweet, like eating lemon drops. Cutting an 8” pan into 16 squares gives pieces that might even be too big. Next time I may go for 9 squares and cut each diagonally. The glaze is soft, and after these set up, it may well drift slowly down the side of each piece. That’s okay with me. It gives some indication of the sensuality of this sweet.

I can’t imagine using bottled lemon juice for this. Besides, you really need the lemons for the grated peel. I weighed the chocolate, in case you want to sub another type of white chocolate for the chocolate chips.

Now, about that glaze: It’s really the heart of this recipe; much of the lemon-ness of the dish is there. Anyone who’s made a powdered sugar glaze knows how tricky that balance of liquid and sugar is, to get it the consistency you want, whether it’s really wet or barely pourable. The directions given made something that, to me, was far too wet. So I cut back on the lemon juice, with the admonition that you can always more, a little at a time, to get things just right.

You’ll want to make this in advance, to give the glaze time to set up and sink into the base. I let the glazed bars sit overnight before I remove the bars and slice them.

LEMON LEMONIES

base:

¾ c. (6 oz.) white chocolate chips or equivalent

½ c. unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

2 large eggs, room temp, lightly beaten

¾ c. granulated sugar

¼ c. lemon juice

1 ¾ c. all-purpose flour

pinch salt

glaze:

2 c. confectioners sugar

about ¼ c. lemon juice and more as needed

about 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8” baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure it comes all the way up over the sides because you’ll use it to lift the cookies. Feel free to fold it back or crumple it down. Spray with cooking spray.

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter if you haven’t already, add the chocolate, and heat to melt. Do this gently; white chocolate is more temperamental than the darker stuff. Hit high power for 1 minute, stop and stir, and continue in 10- to 20-second bursts, stirring each time, until chocolate is smooth. It will not blend completely, but as long as the lumps are completely gone, you’ll be okay.

Let this cool a bit and add the sugar, eggs and lemon juice. Whisk until combined. (You don’t need a mixer for this.) Add the flour and salt, stir just until combined.

Turn out into the prepared pan. If you need to, smooth the top with a wet spatula, or just tip the pan around and drop it from a couple of inches onto the counter.

Bake for 27-28 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean, or with perhaps a few moist crumbs, but not with any batter on it. Set aside on a rack and make the glaze. Don’t wait until this is room temperature, just forge on ahead.

In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and ¼ c. lemon juice. It should be fairly thin, pourable rather than spreadable, so add more lemon juice as needed.

Pour it over the base, tipping the pan to make sure the base is covered. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the glaze. Set aside to cool uncovered for at least 2-3 hours. Overnight is better, but once it’s room temperature, cover it loosely.

Remove from pan, using the foil, and set on a cutting board. You’ll need a spatula to lift each bar off the foil after slicing. The glaze may well, as I said, drift down the side of some pieces.

They keep, airtight at room temp, for a week, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. (I’ve used a little cooking spray on the center of my plastic wrap for these, to keep the glaze from coming off when I unwrap them.)